STEM initiative for Midlands’ children

Young people in the Midlands are being encouraged to take up a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) as a new initiative launches this month.

Leamington-based The Emerald Group has teamed up with former US university professor Felix Hovsepian to launch ‘Tiny Techs’, which will welcome young children between the age of four and seven years old, together with their parents, to the Emerald boardroom where they will engage in STEM exercises.

The idea, which aims to capture children’s attention and imagination, has been developed from a previous scheme in a US legal firm.

With a recent YouGov survey revealing that 61% of business leaders and 68% of academics believe the STEM skills gap in the UK will take over ten years to close, the group aims to nurture problem solving skills from a young age.

CEO of The Emerald Group, Sarah Windrum, said: “We want to inspire young people at the start of their educational journey, as well as their parents, to help them develop an interest in STEM subjects.”

Tiny Techs will give young children and their parents the opportunity to experiment with the popular Raspberry Pi computer, robotics, and other interactive learning devices

Felix Hovsepian, who has helped to bring the initiative to the Midlands, said that inspiring parents is the first step on the road to inspiring young people. He commented: “It’s a fact that young people spend a lot of time with mom and dad and are heavily influenced by them.

“Our aim is to engage the parents and support the appropriate use of technology in solving everyday problems as we believe parents will instinctively pass this enthusiasm and knowledge onto their children.”